In the lead project "Underground Sun Storage 2030" (USS 2030), the safe, seasonal and large-scale storage of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen in underground gas reservoirs is being developed. In addition, all partners involved in the project will jointly gain valuable technical and economic Contact online >>
In the lead project "Underground Sun Storage 2030" (USS 2030), the safe, seasonal and large-scale storage of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen in underground gas reservoirs is being developed. In addition, all partners involved in the project will jointly gain valuable technical and economic knowledge for the development of a secure hydrogen supply.
In this research project, the only one of its kind in the world, renewable solar energy is converted into green hydrogen in a climate-neutral way by means of electrolysis and stored in a pure form in former natural gas reservoirs. Until 2025, interdisciplinary technical-scientific investigations for the energy future will be carried out under real conditions at a small former natural gas reservoir in the municipality of Gampern (Upper Austria) under the leadership of RAG Austria AG together with the project partners. A customised research facility will be built for this purpose.
After successful completion of the "Underground Sun Storage" projectthe final report is also available in English now.
The findings of the report provide the basis for further research project "Underground Sun Conversion". The final report gives an overview about the essential findings in all 10 working packages.
The project „Underground Sun Storage" as well as the further research project "Underground Sun Conversion" receive funding from Austrian Climate and Energy Fund established by the Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, as part of its energy research program.
A press conference for the Underground Sun Conversion project – the only research project of its kind anywhere in the world – was held on 2 March 2017. In attendance were Jörg Leichtfried, Austrian Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Theresia Vogel, Managing Director of the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, RAG CEO Markus Mitteregger, and Professor Andreas Loibner of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna.
Press information 2nd March 2017
The successful Underground Sun Storage project, which focused on the storage of wind and solar energy in naturally formed gas reservoirs, is to be taken to the next stage. Building on the research conducted so far, for the first time the Underground Sun Conversion project will enable production of natural gas directly within a gas reservoir using a microbiological process initiated specifically for this purpose by RAG, and to store it in the same reservoir.
Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology Alois Stöger, Managing Director of the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund Theresia Vogel and RAG Chief Executive Officer Markus Mitteregger open the Underground Sun Storage test facility in Pilsbach, Upper Austria.
For the first time, a research project will investigate the possibility of storing wind and solar power at a former gas field. The storage project is based on power to gas technology, which converts electricity generated in this way into a mixture of methane and hydrogen.
Video: Underground Sun Storage
Due to a constantly rising amount of energy from renewable sources in our energy system, especially from wind and solar, the demand for storage capacity in order to cover for seasonal fluctuations rises accordingly. A widely adopted approach to solve this issue is a promising new technology called "power to gas". This technology aims to convert surpluses from the production of renewable energy systems into hydrogen via electrolysis and subsequently uses the existing gas network for storage purposes. In various studies the impact of hydrogen on the existing gas network has been analyzed and evaluated, but not its impact on existing underground gas storage systems.
Harvesting, storing and supplying solar energy: an unprecedented pilot project run by RAG is currently testing this groundbreaking approach to energy production and storage.
Storage of hydrogen produced using solar energy is being trialled at a small depleted gas reservoir in Pilsbach, Upper Austria. Energy from renewable sources that can be retained thanks to storage offers the only straight replacement for conventional energy – and Austria''s gas storage facilities provide the necessary infrastructure. The project is being financed by Austria''s Climate and Energy Fund.
Whether underground gas storage reservoirs can tolerate hydrogen is still unclear, and that is the main focus of this groundbreaking project. If the results are positive, the role of such facilities and their enormous storage capacity (more than 8 billion cu m in Austria, equivalent to 92,000 GWh) in the energy system of the future will change significantly, since they can be used to store and balance out supplies of renewable energy. Within this lead project, we are attempting to demonstrate the ability of underground storage facilities to tolerate hydrogen content of up to 10% in gas, so that they do not have to limit the potential of the network as a whole.
To achieve this aim, the project comprises laboratory experiments, simulations and a field trial conducted on an industrial scale at an existing storage reservoir with similar characteristics to Austria''s large storage facilities. The tests are being accompanied by a risk assessment, a life cycle assessment, and an analysis of the legal and economic framework conditions. Simulation tools developed in the project will be calibrated by collating the results from the laboratory tests, simulations and the field trial. The goal is to enable similar investigations for many other storage facilities, all over the world.
Finding a solution to the question of storing renewable energy is the key to maximising its contribution to the energy mix and achieving a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. In terms of the strategic development of energy systems for the future, the results of the pilot will be hugely significant for companies, political decision-makers and public authorities.
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Large-volume storage of hydrogen enables energy transition while maintaining security of supply.With "Underground Sun Storage", the world''s first hydrogen storage facility in an underground porous reservoir, RAG Austria AG – Renewables and Gas – and its project partners are setting new international standards.
Two years after the start of the project, the underground sun storage facility was opened on April 27, 2023.
In this unique cross-sector demonstration facility, solar energy is converted into green hydrogen by water electrolysis and stored in pure form in an underground natural gas reservoir in Gampern, Upper Austria. The scale of the storage corresponds to the summer surplus of about 1,000 photovoltaic systems on family homes. In summer, this surplus energy is stored and in winter the green energy can be provided again in the form of electricity and heat.
"In Gampern in Upper Austria we are demonstrating what is possible and necessary to ensure a secure supply of green energy throughout the year and thus enable the energy transition.", Mitteregger emphasizes.
Video: "Underground Sun Storage" Watch Video
Like natural gas, hydrogen is an all-rounder: both are energy forms with excellent storage characteristics, and can be used as transport fuels. Hydrogen has a big future; it is set to play a key role inhitting the world''s climate goals and enhancing security of supply. Its production is climate-neutral, relying on renewable solar and wind power, and it is suitable for industrial, heat and power generation, as well as transportation applications. Hydrogen can be seasonally stored in large quantities, in existing facilities, carried in unseen, environmentally friendly gas pipelines, and then cleanly and flexibly used across every sector of the economy.
There are two carbon neutral pathways to the production of hydrogen: via water or methaneelectrolysis.
RAG''s Underground Sun Storage project (10% hydrogen fraction) has already demonstrated that hydrogen can be stored together with natural gas in underground gas storage facilities. The next step will be for RAG to study the storage of pure hydrogen in an additional, proprietary gas storage facility. Hydrogen can also be converted into naturally produced natural gas ("green gas"), through the admixture of carbon dioxide, in former gas reservoirs in a microbiological process. RAG has a international patent for this process, known as "hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis".
To reach agreed climate targets and reduce carbon emissions, a great deal more green gas will be needed than can be produced by current methods. RAG is therefore already committed to a wider perspective, and to carbon dioxide reduction across the entireenergy market. It is looking at the potential ofseveral cutting edge green gas technologies as replacements for fossil fuels in the moleculebased energy sector.
This innovative technology will make a significant contribution to Austria''s energy transformation whilst triggering a burst of innovation in industry, strengthening regional economies, and benefiting security of supply.
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